Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-01-03
WHERE RETICENCE Is NOT SEN.

HHEHE fGE IICEN y q IL NOI S6N-
SIBLE.
Railroad officials are generally pretty
shrewd men, who have a sold reason for
every policy they pursue in regard to
managing the affairs of their roads. THE
GAZETTE does not propose 10 teach these
gentlemen anything shout the manage
ment of their business, but there is one
feature of the average railroad policy
that excites THE GAzETTE's surprise, TO
festure Gas the railroad managers see it,
but if so they are about the only ones
who see any common sense in it. We
sllude to the reticence that is imposed on
all railroad employees in regard to fur
nishing any information concerning acct
dents or mishaps on any line of road.
THE GAZETTE, as its readers know, has a
corps of very alert newsgatherers scat
tered Ill over Texas, from Texarkana to
Ell Paso, and from Denison to Galveston.
They cover the entire state and do their
work faithfully. These gentlemen tell
THE GAZETTE that of al the difficult work
they have to do that of getting informa-
tion from railroad officials about wreck,
or mishap Of any kind on rallrosd is
the most difficult. The subordinate en-
ployes-the train men, station masters,
ETC. are generally courteous and oblig-
ing. As individuals they are per-
iectly willing to impart such infor-
nation as would be interesting
and of use to the public, but they say
they dare not do so; their mouths are
sealed by orders from those in authority
and it is as much as their places are
worth to talk. THE GAZETTE's young
men, therefore, do not get much informa-
ton on the topics above al
luded to from railroad men.
Let wreck occur anywhere
and the rumors of damage to life or rail.
road property go floating around, and
straightwsy every railroad man gets as
dumb as an oyster. He hasn't heard of
anything, doesn't know anything. The
result is that the news gatherer, not to be
outdone, knowing he must get the
news and forward it, seeks other sources
Of information. He pumps passengers
and sometimes gets his Information de-
cidedly secondhand. Then the newspa-
pers are berated by the grand moguls of
the road for publishing garbled or exag
gerated stories of the accident. Would
it not be wiser policy to deal frankly and
fairly with he public? II an accident occurs
the newspapers would very much prefer
to get the details straight from railroad
sources and publish the facts without de-
lay. When mislap, no matter what its
nature, occurs On line of railway, the
subordinate employees who know the real
facts should be free to give them
to the press without any delay. The
policy that is pursued only tends to mys-
tify the public and make the case APP
pear much worse than it really is. Ru-
NOR; gather force as they go, and what is
perhaps 8 trivial happening is soon mag
nifed into an occurrence of great magni-
tude. The railroad people should know
that the reporters are going to get the
news by hook or by crook-if not from
one source then from another. The only
wondet is that the reporters, hampered by
this rep-tape toolishness as they are-this
sphinx like reticence-are able to collate
and report facts as accurately as they do
n reputable journal will distort or mis-
represent facts given it cheerfully and IN
good faith by railroad officials, and the
eminently proper course OF the roads
would seem to be to furnish plain, specific
statements as soon as possible, and put a
stop TO the wild rumors that sre certain
to spring up when anything out OF the
usual course happens on a railroad. In
all respect and sincerity The GAZETTE
commends these reflections to those who
are in authority. THE GAZETTE has gen.
orally managed to get the news and will
continue to do so, but If the roads could
be induced to deal frankly with the press
in such matters and cooperate in the
laudable aspiration of placing reliable,
unembellished news before the people as
soon as possible, the public would be
much better served and the roads them
selves would be benefited by having the
truth stated.